


00:00:00:00:00:00:00

by peggy_hamilton



Series: soulmate au's [4]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Soulmate-Identifying Timers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:07:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23901319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peggy_hamilton/pseuds/peggy_hamilton
Summary: Bucky was twenty seven, and his counter hadn’t started counting down yet.---The Winter Soldier was glad that his soulmate counter had never worked, until one day it starts.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader
Series: soulmate au's [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1660126
Comments: 4
Kudos: 165





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**Author's Note:**

> originally posted on my tumblr justthinkingofwaystoavoidbusses
> 
> original request: Lots of soul mate AUs, Gemma! Chris Beck Soul Mate Au, Bucky Barnes soul mate Au, just all the soul mate aus where they’re adorable and cute and someone’s scared of being rejected but actually it’s all perfect in the end? Also keep up the amazing work! Hope your days been good! :) xx

Bucky’s counter was glitched. It had to be, on everyone’s wrist was a countdown to when they meet their soulmate and it began when the other was born. Obviously some people were born with a countdown already going meaning their soulmate had been born. Others had countdowns which read 00:00:00:00:00:00:00 until their soulmate was born then it would start up. It wasn’t unusual for people to have a blank countdown for a few years, that age gap was incredibly common. Larger age gaps of up to ten years were less common but still nothing new.

But Bucky was twenty seven, and his counter hadn’t started counting down yet.

He wasn’t some kind of pervert, the type that would go out with someone nearly three decades younger than himself. Maybe it meant he didn’t have a soulmate, maybe it meant whoever his soulmate was had been born before and died incredibly young. In which case they would have existed, but never got to meet them.

No countdown meant he had nothing to lose in enlisting for the war. Sure, he had Steve, but Steve could take care of himself no matter how much Bucky wanted to be there to look out for him.

During his days as the Winter Soldier he was glad that he didn’t have a soulmate. In those brief moments where he was him, when he was Bucky Barnes, he was so incredibly glad that his clock read 00:00:00:00:00:00:00. If he had a soulmate, Hydra would have killed them or taken them captive as well. At least he wouldn’t be the cause of any suffering.

Except one day, in the middle of a mission, he glanced down and noticed that his timer had begun to countdown.

The digits on his wrist read 28:04:02:15:06:54. His first instinct was to panic; the first emotion he had truly felt in years. What would Hydra do? There was no way he could hide this from them, they would find out and use it against him. After everything he had done, how could the universe give him a soulmate, one that would be taken down a horrible horrible path because of him?

As expected Hydra found out the second he returned. He had tried in vain to keep his sleeves covering his counter but that didn’t work out for very long. They used it against him, taunted him about how they would never let him meet his soulmate. That they would keep him frozen. Or that they wouldn’t and they would find out who it is and bring them back. Torture them in front of him.

When he finally broke free of hydra’s hold there was still two years left on the countdown. Two years of running away from anyone who could know him, two years of running away from the thought that they would reject him as their soulmate the second you found out who he was.

* * *

Joining SHIELD had been the best decision of your life.

You had always wanted to do good, to help people even if you didn’t know them. You had stumbled onto SHIELD accidentally, you were originally going to join the police force and work your way up. In the battle of New York you couldn’t just stand there and watch only six people save everyone. At first, you had helped evacuate the city then you went to the main fight. The Avengers had tried to get you to safety but you refused to leave until they agreed to let you stay and help out. You were a good fighter and had the best aim in your precinct, turns out you had the knack for taking down violent alien species.

After that, you quit your job and joined SHIELD. After two years of hardcore training, you were made an Avenger (a little late, you thought), you got along with Steve the best. You enjoyed listening to his stories of the 40s, most of which included his childhood best friend Bucky Barnes. Steve talked so much about him you felt like you practically knew him yourself.

You knew how hard it was on Steve when he came back and told you that the mysterious Winter Soldier was in fact Bucky. You promised to do everything you could to help him, you didn’t actually see Bucky/the Winter Soldier in person though, it seemed that each time you would miss him. You had been the one to find Steve washed up on the riverside, there was no doubt in your mind that Bucky had been the one to drag him there.

It was at that moment you decided that you would find him, for Steve and to save him from himself. Hydra had been able to worm their way into SHIELD, you had no idea as to how far they could have gone in turning someone into their own killing machine. From all the stories Steve told you Bucky of all people didn’t deserve what had happened, your life mission to help others increased tenfold.

You worked with your new friend Sam Wilson to try and track down Bucky. Steve eventually had to go back to doing actual work with the other Avengers, after a year you decided to back out of the Avengers, only going on lowkey missions when necessary. While you were saving a lot of people you were also causing lots of damage, that wasn’t what you wanted to happen.

The mess with the Accords dragged you back into it all. You were sat in a swivel chair listening to Steve and Tony argue over whether or not to sign the agreement.

“We’re causing so much damage,” Tony argued, “Sign the accords and we can still help out where we’re needed.”

“What if they don’t send us where we need to go,” Steve countered.

Everyone else chipped in and chose their side of things until everyone turned to you.

“Both arguments have their flaws,” you started carefully. “Tony’s right, we are causing too much damage. Steve is also right, we’ll lose all control and we may not be able to help where we need it. Surely there has to be a compromise, get lawyers to change the contract to give us more freedom. Sign the contract and help out but more discreetly, less ‘Woah hey we’re the Avengers, we wear bright and tight-fitting clothes and we’re here to blow shit up’.”

“We don’t have time to change the contract,” Tony huffed exasperated, “You need to pick a side, Y/N. And now.”

You chewed your lower lip and traced your finger over the timer on your counter. It was less than a week until you were supposed to meet them, only a few days. Lately, your mind was racing over what you would say, who would they be, what would they look like?

Right now it was the deciding factor. What if your soulmate was someone who needed your help. What if they were someone who was in a bad situation that was deemed unnecessary for help by the governments controlling the Avengers? What if the Avengers helped a situation and they got caught in the crossfire?

“I’m not signing the contract,” you said with finality.

Tony glared and Steve looked triumphant. “I’m not on your side either,” you told Steve and his smile dropped, he looked confused.

“Like I said, both sides have their flaws. I joined the Avengers because I wanted to help people. The way I see it both these options will save the same amount of people and harm the same amount of people in the end, whether it’s because they’re caught in our crossfire or completely ignored. I’ve made my decision, I’m leaving the Avengers,” you nodded to yourself and stood and left the room.

About two hours later you got a text from Sam saying that he had tracked the infamous Bucky Barnes down to Bucharest. You shot him a text back saying you would pack tonight and you could leave tomorrow.

The flight was nearly twelve hours and included a stop off in England along the way for a few hours, so you and Sam were travelling most of the day. Once in Bucharest, you decided to split up and explore the city separately to cover more ground.

It was late at night now and the crowds on the street had dispersed, Sam was on the other side of the city and had decided to stay in a hotel that was too far for you to get to. There was a small family run hotel on the outskirts of town that you managed to get a room in. You lay awake and stared at the ceiling, you had been searching for Bucky for two years and now you were so close it didn’t even feel real. What if he had already fled town and you and Sam were left looking again?

You turned on your side and all thoughts of Bucky ceased, you hadn’t noticed that the timer on your countdown was incredibly low. It read 00:00:00:00:15:43:22.

Tomorrow.

You would meet your soulmate tomorrow. It would be unlikely that you would leave Bucharest before that time, so your soulmate was most likely a resident here. Did that mean they would speak Romanian? Probably. Would they speak English? No, probably not. You didn’t know any Romanian, that would be a difficult conversation, considering the language difference. You could make it work.

* * *

The conversation was infinitely more difficult than you had thought.

You had been distracted in tracking down Bucky all day that you only had downtime to check your countdown once you were waiting in his apartment for him to hopefully show up.

You gulped when you saw the time. 21 seconds. Your heart beat rapidly in your chest, that couldn’t be right?

15 seconds, surely not.

11 seconds, you could hear footsteps coming down the hall.

9 seconds, that wasn’t possible, of all the people.

7 seconds, the lock to the door clicked as someone turned the key.

3 seconds, the handle turned, your panic grew.

2 seconds, you weren’t ready.

1 second, this had to be a mistake.

Fuck.

* * *

Bucky had thought he was being so smart.

He had been at the market buying some plums when he glanced at his wrist and saw it was only minutes until he was supposed to meet his soulmate. He’d had decades to deliberate what to do but he made the decision in a split second. He decided to hole himself up in his apartment for the next day.

Yes, his soulmate would never meet him. He would have let them down before they knew him. They would be crushed. But it would be better than getting dragged down with him. His footsteps were heavy as he trod up to his apartment, there was no going back. There were only a few seconds left, his soulmate was probably out there excitedly waiting to meet him and he was here.

No, he was doing the right thing, the kinder thing.

He had not expected to open his apartment door to see you standing there at the exact moment his timer hit 00:00:00:00:00:00:00.

“Fuck,” you breathed. Bucky Barnes. James Buchanan Barnes was your soulmate. The man you had been looking for for two years was your soulmate. The man you swore to find and help was your soulmate.

Bucky dropped his head, it was obvious his soulmate knew who he was (why else would you be in his apartment) and you obviously were disappointed that he was your soulmate. It didn’t matter that you were his soulmate, he had to think about his own survival. If you were here for him that could only mean bad things, so he ran.

You jumped into action when you saw him bolt down the hall. Reflexively you began to chase after him. Bucky was a fast runner, you guessed he had been genetically enhanced. But you were also a fast runner, so you managed to keep up with him, only a few meters behind him at all times.

Bucky flew through the thankfully empty streets with you close on his heels.

“Bucky,” you yelled after him, your lungs beginning to burn but you pushed through. “Bucky stop!”

He didn’t listen, just kept running. “Stop, I’m not here to take you,” he heard you yell. He couldn’t trust you, just because you were his soulmate didn’t mean he could trust you.

You paused for a second to catch your breath then ran after him again, in just a few seconds he had gained a lot of distance so you really had to push yourself to the limit to catch up with him. You reached a bit of land on a downward slope that allowed you to gain acceleration on him, soon you were right behind him by a few meters.

You did the only thing you could think of, you leaped and tackled to him to the ground. Bucky certainly hadn’t been expecting that so he toppled easily, his reflexes kicked in and he flipped you and managed to pin you.

Thankfully, your years of training had prepared you for a situation like this. You kicked your leg up into his side, lifted your forearm to his throat and shifted your weight to flip you so he was now under you pinned.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” you repeated clearly. “I’m here to help you,” you continued softer, lifting off him and offered him a hand, “I promise.”

Bucky took your hand hesitantly and you hoisted him up, “How can I trust you? I don’t even know you.”

“Well I know you,” you panted, exhausted after all the running, “I’m Steve’s friend, he’s told me all about you. I’m Y/N, by the way, Y/N Y/L/N. Don’t worry, only one other person knows you’re here and even he doesn’t know I’ve found you.”

Bucky nodded, “So you’ve been looking for me?”

“For the better part of two years,” you told him, “Since you pulled Steve off the bank I knew that there was still some of the you that Steve told me about in there. I want to help the people who need it, I knew you needed it,” you shrugged.

Bucky was speechless. He never thought that there would ever be someone who would be so dedicated to helping him that they would track him for two years. But then again, “Still, how do I know you aren’t lying to me?”

Your shoulders drooped, “You don’t, you have to trust that I’m not. But I suppose you should be good at figuring out if someone’s lying to you by now, right?”

Bucky let his eyes scan you over, he didn’t notice any signs that you were lying and you did give off a good vibe. “I trust you.”

You smiled brightly and Bucky gave a small smile reflexively.

“Good. I just recently quit my job, do you have time to catch up on what you’ve been doing for the past two years? You may not know but you are impossible to trace.”

Bucky chuckled, “Yeah, there’s coffee back at my apartment. So, Steve told you about me?” he asked quietly. He remembered Steve, he was the first thing he remembered. He didn’t remember all that much but he remembered bits here and there, it was more likely that you knew about his past more clearly than he did.

You nodded as you began to walk back to Bucky’s apartment with him, “Yeah, all the time. In his stories he usually gets in a fight and you show up at the end and save the day.”

“He said that?”

“I’m paraphrasing,” you grinned, “At least, that’s the impression I got.”

Bucky hummed in acknowledgement, for the first time in forever he actually felt happy, he felt giddy, he felt safe. He knew he was in for some shit in the very near future, but walking through the markets of Bucharest with you by his side made him feel, that for just one moment, that everything would be okay.


End file.
